The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 280 parts per million to 370 parts per million over the last 150 years. The higher concentration is largely attributable to intensive use of fossil fuels, particularly for electrical power generation and transportation. However, a rapid move to meet all energy needs through alternative renewable energy sources would be very costly to consumers, damaging to the economy, and at the present time is impractical on a technology basis.
A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions will be required to stabilize, and in the long term, decrease carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. A promising technology for significantly decreasing emissions from large scale carbon dioxide emitting plants such as coal fired power stations, cement plants, gas processing facilities and iron smelting plants involves separating carbon dioxide from the process streams and then storage or use of separated carbon dioxide in a manner that will prevent the carbon dioxide from being released to the atmosphere.
Technologies currently being used for separating carbon dioxide from gas streams include:                physical solvents such as methanol and chemical solvents such as monoethanolamine (MEA) for absorbing carbon dioxide;        various types of membranes for separating carbon dioxide from gases;        adsorbing carbon dioxide onto zeolites and other solids; and        low temperature separation.        
Each of these technologies offer certain benefits or have particular disadvantages. It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative for separating carbon dioxide from gas streams including, but by no means limited to flue gas streams.